The Wedding Story: Capture Creative and Authentic Photos

Lesson 13 of 56

Anticipation & Patience

The Wedding Story: Capture Creative and Authentic Photos

Lesson 13 of 56

Anticipation & Patience

Lesson Info

Anticipation & Patience

We're gonna really get technical, and how we actually take our photos to capture the best moments. And it's sort of two-faced, so it's anticipation and patience. So we anticipate that something good is about to happen, and then we are very patient in seeing it all the way through.
So this is also known as Anticipatience, trademark. (crowd laughing) It actually comes from-- you almost did it, when he says anticipation, Anticipatience, yeah. It's from that hesitation that Anticipatience came about.
My dream is for that word to make it into Webster's dictionary. (laughter) I'm working on that. (gentle laughter) But that word is really, really true to the way that we approach every sequence in a wedding day, so anticipate and be patient.
So we shoot a ton-- this has come up a little bit before. We do about 10,000 images, more or less, each-- per wedding, which is a lot for sure. And that's because we are constantly just Anticipatience-ing, (laughter) so waiting for the moment to come...

together, seeing it all the way through, and each resulting sequence ends up being, multiple images. See the images all the way through, seeing the moment all of the way through rather, is crucial to us actually getting at least one final image.
Yeah. The best way we can describe it through the curve, so in some cases the curve is going to look just like this. And the idea is that the best photo, the peak of the moment, lives somewhere at the top of that curve. And we don't want to just shoot for that one photo, we want to start way before, so anticipate that something is about to happen at the top of that curve, photograph all the way through, and then let the moment come out of it. So this is a very tamed curve. We'll show you an example of what that looks like. We're back in Montreal for Selena and Stephan's wedding. The bride is putting on her dress with her mom, and I'm waiting for something good to happen, just shooting all the way through. She's talking to her, glances back, has the tiniest of little smiles. Right there. And then, I don't know what's going to happen, but I'm just clicking, clicking, clicking, really seeing the moment all the way through. Nothing more really comes out of it. Sort of there. Video stops shooting, and then... That's about it. So, good photo, nice, very subtle moment, but nothing more than that. So that very subtle curve. Let's go to Mexico for Sarah and Aaron's wedding. This is during their parade, so the day before the actual wedding. And there's a lot happening there. There were definitely some better moments, but this is another good example of this very subtle curve. Just get into position, he's hanging out with his friends. The moment already happened. It was very, very, very subtle. Here they look at the camera, which I probably tell them after not to do again. (laughter)
Don't you ever do that again.
It was just that little tap on the shoulder, something extremely subtle, but it makes for a nice photo between him and his friends. And again, being in position before that moment happened, just photographing all the way through, and the letting the moment dissipate. Here it dissipated by them looking at the camera, and that moment was over. Very, very quick; very very subtle.
Let's look at a different curve. Daniel really likes drawing out these curves in Photoshop. (laughter)
So this is where the moment builds up, and then it peaks much higher, and then it drops and it's over much faster. But the height of the moment is a little bit more intense. And sometimes the peak is gonna be at the beginning, sometimes it's more gradual, and then it peaks, and then it drops. But the idea here is that it's a one quick peak, and it comes right back down. So this is actually just a few seconds after Aaron was with his friends. We just keep shooting all the way through. The footage is from my camera, from my GoPro, but the final photo is actually going to be Davina's, who was shooting really shoulder-to-shoulder, or side-by-side. So he's still with his friends, and then they add one more person, and then they're gonna add the bride into the mix as well. So the moment's sort of building up. We're clicking all the way through. And this guy gets added, this guy gets added. Look at the girl on the left side, she's gonna have a little moment right there. And that's kind of where the moment came about. And so that one really, it built up, went high, and then dropped, and then moment was over. Now the most common curve, and that's the one where the best moments happen, where it's most important to not put your camera down and really keep clicking all the way through, is where the moment builds up and you think that it's over, but it peaks again and becomes something really great. And then it comes down, and then it might peak another time, and so it's just so important to keep clicking all the way through, because we don't know when that's moment is going to be over.
This is also what my emotions related to doing this class have looked like over the last few months. (laughter) The last few months, today. (Davina laughs)
Yeah, so we're gonna go through a few examples of this curve. This is again Sarah and Aaron in Mexico, and after their parade they arrived at this venue. They had a rehearsal dinner with all of their friends and families, and this is during Aaron's-- was that Aaron's speech?
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, he was talking, just thanking his-- their parents. And so the two moms are really having a moment, so there's good stuff happening right out of the gate. But the thing is I feel like I never had the right angle, and I don't know where the moment is really gonna peak. So even if they're applauding, and if this guy comes in, just keep clicking, keep clicking. Make a little adjustment, move over, get better framing. And then the moment peaks again.
Don't you feel relieved as you see it happen a second time? You're like, oh good. He was in such a better position this time, and actually got better.
Yeah, there's the groom speaking. And so that's--
Sorry, this is slide show gold that we mentioned earlier, the two moms, groom's mom, bride's mom, having a moment together.
Mm-hmm, and aside from letting the moment go, hit its peaks, it's also important to make those tiny little adjustments. Here you saw my positioning was a little bit behind their back, so that wasn't ideal, but then the adjustment was just to move over the other side, so that I had a better angle on them. And the idea is that we're never really chimping, we're never looking down at our camera, and seeing what the images look like. It's a very mental process as we're looking through the viewfinder. Sticking to this curve, where the moment builds up. This is during their speech at their actual reception on the wedding day, so this is the bride's dad, sorry-- the bride's dad doing his toast. So I realign myself, get into position. The moment has a nice peak right here, good energy, but his speech isn't over. Davina's covering the bride and groom's reactions, so I know that that's covered. I don't think about going anywhere else. And look at the mom, how she's reacting in the background, and these guys in the foreground too, they're-- The hands are doing very subtle gestures, but they emphasize the moment. I make one adjustment, but I realize that that's not better positioning, so you'll see me just come back to where I was before. And the bride's really feeling the speech itself.
The mom.
Sorry the bride--
The bride's mom.
The mom. I like that little glare at the bride and groom, and then the glasses in the air. So there's a lot of peaks here that happen, and in the moment you might not necessarily know which one is the very best one, but it's really important to keep clicking all the way though. Turned out, the best framing and where the energy was the best was right at the beginning of that clip, so it shot up, and the framing of the hands clapping, and the mom's face in the back. And the dad who's not actually saying words, but just taking it in as well. That's where everything really came together. This is some of the other photos, so we're closer up on the mom as well. Still a good photo, but everything doesn't come together quite as well. This is the one that you saw at the end, where everybody was cheers-ing. I was a little bit more zoommed in, I think I was on the mom in that moment, so my framing wasn't quite as well figured out. Could have been a good moment as well if it was shot a little bit wider, but the one at the beginning was the one that worked out.

Class Description

Wedding Photography is a hard and sometimes exhausting business. Finding ways to stay creative while continuing to capture timeless and classic imagery is important. Drawing from their own life experiences, Davina and Daniel Kudish capture the subtle nuances of their client's life stories at every wedding. In this course, they’ll discuss techniques to personalize each individual wedding to capture the stories and moments that make each couple unique.

Utilize what you know about each couple to help approach capturing the day

Research and location scouting techniques

Capture the details that matter most

How to work with various lighting situations

Preserve the mood and capture natural moments

Composition and Framing

Shooting with variety

Create personal and creative portraits

Edit a slideshow and how to create an album

Davina and Daniel are known for capturing creative portraits and important moments that tell every unique love story. Join them to learn how to implement their formula to find and capture the creative story with every client.

a Creativelive Student

Holy Moly! I have been very familiar with Davina & Daniel for several years and I also work closely with Image Salon for the past 3 years. I loved their relatability, raw honesty, human connection, and their teaching method. It was also super helpful to see the GoPro footage on a real wedding day and walk through their thought process with them. A refreshing wind of inspiration has now flooded my mind and attitude. I am excited to begin my 8th year of weddings with a clear mind and full heart. These two are the REAL deal and I am so happy I made this investment. Thanks, CL for always bringing the BEST of the BEST.

a Creativelive Student

I’ve been following Davina and Daniel’s work for years and suffice it to say, they are in my top 6 all time favorites. I was so excited to watch this creative live and it didn’t disappoint. From their approach to shooting through the moments, to their stunning locales and minimalist gear, there is something for everyone in this class. Both Daniel and Davina have a tremendous knowledge of photography and their willingness to share and educate is second to none. Oh, and just so you know, they are also the nicest people on the planet. Super sweet, amazingly talented. Thanks for having them on.

a Creativelive Student

Davina and Daniel are fantastic presenters as well as an exceptional photo team (plus they are super nice people, too!).
I love their approach and methods and felt like there is so much value in this course.
Even though I've been photographing for a long time, I took away a lot of great value gems from their course and look forward to applying several to my own business!